Should you let a robot decide how you tell your brand story? Three digital marketing trends explained

You’ve heard the statistics and the reality is right there in front of your face: digital devices are now literally attached to your consumers.

And yet, it can feel like a bigger battle to capture their attention than ever.

Surveys of both business owners and consumers suggest that when it comes to digital marketing, things aren’t as simple as just buying some search terms and setting up a Facebook page.

When Sensis surveyed 1,100 businesses and 800 consumers in June, the results showed the number of users actively following brands online dropped from 36% a year ago to 24%, suggesting the drive for customers to connect with your business through digital channels is waning.

But beyond the guidebooks on search engine marketing and optimisation, there’s a whole range of trends emerging that you can take advantage of to connect directly with your user base and to make sure your brand stays front-of-mind.

SmartCompany spoke to digital marketing experts this week to find out how you can leverage some of these new approaches.

Interactivity and speed in storytelling

Social media expert Dionne Lew says brands can no longer think of digital marketing as big chunks of information or storytelling.

“The trend small businesses should be tracking is micro-content,” she says.

There might be a temptation to create lengthy, detailed narratives, users are increasingly switching off any information that takes them a long time to process.

“While customers have 24 hours in a day, they have 31 hours of activity. They are stacking activities — for example, listening to a podcast while they go for a run,” she explains. Read more